Exercise is generally used for relaxation/stress release, weight loss and muscle building, and as cardiovascular pulmonary conditioning. Cardiovascular pulmonary conditioning not only assists in relaxation/stress release, muscle building and body shaping, but also has the potential of prolonging life. For example, studies show that persons walking two miles in 30 minutes for three times per week, have a 58% percent reduction in deaths from heart attack or stroke.
According to fitness experts, to maximize the benefit of a cardiovascular workout, the heart rate should be raised to between 50 and 70 percent of its maximum. The maximum number of beats per minute is usually estimated to be 220 minus the person's age.
If a work-out falls far below that level, the heart is not obtaining the necessary challenge to get stronger. On the other extreme, if the heart is worked too hard, the body begins burning stored calories in a way that burns less fat and relies more on energy stored in muscle tissue. Thus, many people who exercise focus on their heart rates for optimal results. Heart rate training involves keeping track of the heart rate while exercising. Specifically, heart rate training can first be used to build a sound aerobic base with low intensity volume type work. Next, threshold heart rate training can be used as a means of improving central cardiovascular efficiency is used for optimal fitness results. Finally, lactate tolerance heart rate training can be used to prepare for the demands of competition.
Prior art device only serve to monitor the heart-rate of the user. The simplest models offer a continuous display of the number of beats per minute, while other models calculate the time spent in the target heart rate zone, double as a stopwatch, calculate maximum heart rate, and display the average heart rate for each lap. For example, current models include a strap worn around the rib cage while exercising. The strap transmits a radio signal to a wristwatch-like device that displays the user's heart rate. The user is then required to estimate a tempo or pace to follow to maintain a desired heart rate. Further, since the majority of exercise entails, to a certain degree, a repetitive action, there is a need for users to regulate the pace of their repetitive activity.
By trial and error, experienced athletes, are able to analyze, with varying degrees of accuracy, whether or not a particular training session on a certain day is achieving heart rate training goals. However, there are so many factors that can effect such trial and error analysis from one session to the next that this form of analysis is generally unpredictable to attain optimal fitness results and ascertain whether training goals and objectives are being met.